Nearly every one of the 33 million people around the world who are infected with HIV/AIDS are forced to struggle with a stigma surrounding the disease. In the March-April issue of Utne Reader, we reprinted stories that demonstrate the discrimination, shame, isolation, and fear faced by people with HIV/AIDS every day. In the project INFECTED and AFFECTED, photographer Joan L. Brown asks people to show how they would fight, communicate love, and express the sadness surrounding HIV/AIDS stigma. According to the project’s website, “Collectively, these portraits present to the world a mosaic of dignity and courage that challenges stigma.”
We’ve reproduced a few of the photos below:
Source: INFECTED and AFFECTED
All images by Joan L. Brown /www.infectedandaffected.com